Toy with displaceable elements in transparent enclosure



Oct. 16, 1951 A, A ANTHONY 2,571,405

TOY WITH DISPLACEABLE ELEMENTS IN TRANSPARENT ENCLOSURE Filed March 4, 1949 ur l: j

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/4 il 37 /5 2O 22 1 Ljlzz 2732 /7 ILM 1|; Il V INVENTOR /0 QN, .1 BY W y; kr// ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 16, 1951 TOY WITH DISPLACEABLE ELEMENTS IN TRANSPARENT ENCLOSURE Alfred A,Anthony, Rye, N. Y.

Application March 4, 1949, Serial No. 79,566 4 claims. (C1. i6- 1) This invention relates to toys in which a group of separate displaceable elements can be moved selectively between different sockets in which they rest. Elements of different colors are associated with different sockets, but can be shifted into any of the sockets.

One object of the invention is to provide a toy for small children in which a child can operate keys to make balls or other elements jump up and out of sockets in a base, but the displaceable elements are confined within a transparent chamber so that they can not fall on the floor and so that the child can not put them in his mouth.

Another object of the invention, for older children, is to associate the different displaceable elements with certain lsockets in the toy, as by having the displaceable elements of different colors corresponding to different colored sockets. The toy can be used by distributing the elements in haphazard fashion among the different sockets and then operating the actuator levers to shift the elements around in the enclosure with a view of getting each element into the socket of corresponding color.

One feature of the invention relates to the shape of the cover so as to provide a sloping surface against which the elements can be projected to deflect them sidewise across other sockets of the toy. This prevents the element from dropping back into the same socket from which it was projected, as would be the case if the top of the cover were horizontal.

Other features of the invention relate to the construction of the toy with a minimum number of moving parts and with the levers notched and engaged by portions of the base so that the toy can be assembled without any pivot pins and with a minimum of labor, the cover Vserving as a' retainer for holding all of the operating levers assembled with the base.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will appear or be pointed out as the description proceeds.

In the drawing, forming a part hereof, in which like reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all the views,

Figure 1 is a front view, partly in section, showing a toy embodying this invention,

Figures 2 and 3 are sectional views taken on the lines 2-2 and 3-3 respectively, of Figure l,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

The toy comprises a base lli which is preferably a one-piece plastic moulding. The base Ill has a lower edge portion II that rests on a table l or other support. The base is shaped to provide a row of sockets I3 separated from one another by walls I4. Each of the sockets is preferably longer` than it is wide.

In the construction illustrated, each of the sockets I3 contains a displaceable element comprising a ball I5 having a diameter slightly less than the width of the socket and substantially less than the fore and aft length of the socket. Displaceable elements of other shapes than spheres can be used.

There is an actuator comprising a lever I1 extending across the lower portion of each of the sockets I3, and these actuators Il are preferably of different colors. erably colored to correspond with one of the actuators or levers. No other coloring of the sockets is necessary because the actuators I1 are of broad extent and may be almost as Wide as the respective sockets with which they are associated.

There is a wall 20 extending across the front of all of the sockets I3. This wall forms the front wall of each socket. There is a separate recess 22 in the top of the wall 20 at the front of each of the sockets I3. These recesses are not as wide as the actuators Il and there are notches 23 in the opposite side edges of each actuator inl l position to be engaged by the sides of the recess 22, the width of each actuator I'I between its notches 23 being somewhat less than the width of the recess 22. Each actuator I'I rests on the wall 2B at the bottom of its associated recess 22, and the bottom of the recess serves as a fulcrum on which the lever Il can be rocked.

Each of the sockets I3 has a bottom 25 (Fig. 3) which need not be continuous, on which the rearward end of the actuator Il rests. It is a feature of the construction that the socket bottom 25 is slightly lower than the bottom of the rel-V cess 22 so that the actuator Il slopes downward toward the rearward end of the socket and the ball I5 resting on the actuator Il rolls along the sloping actuator Il and into contact with a wall 21 at the back of the socket. The advantage of this construction is that the ball I5-remains at a maximum distance from the fulcrum of the actuator when at rest. Operation of the actuator I1 by tapping its forward end or key portion downward gives the portion of the actuator that is in contact with the ball a maximum displacement for projecting the ball I5 upward and out of the socket.

There is adome or cover 30 attached to the base Each of the balls I5 is pref-- I0 and extending across all of the sockets I3. This dome or cover 30 has a lower edge portion 32, and at least a portion of the length of the lower edge 32 fits into a groove in the base I0 for holding the cover 30 against transverse displacement on the base. The cover 30 is permanently secured to the base by cement or any other fastening means along the part of the edge portion 32 that contacts with the base I0.

The cover 30 is preferably shaped with substantially parallel front andv rear walls 33, and a top 35 of continuous curvature. The top 35 of the cover is preferably curved in a fore and aft Vdirection as well as transversely so as to provide al shape of pleasing appearane. In the preferred construction the cover 30 is made of transparent plastic material. Although theV cover3IJ is preferably of one-piece construction and transparent throughout its full extent, it is suflcient to have merely the front of the cover 30 transparent in order to permit the child tosee thel balls .I 5.1at all times.

When the cover 30 is madey longer than therow of sockets I3, as is the case of the construction illustrated, the portions of the base .IIIA thatare under the cover 39 but beyond the sockets are made with a surface 3l which slopes. toward. the nearest socket I3, or the portions of the base beyond the sockets and under the cover 3&- can. be limited to a projected horizontal dimension less than the radius of the ball I5 so that the balls cannot stand on these surfaces. With. such: con-` struction, the balls will always roll into any adjacent empty socket. The sockets are. purposely made with their fore and aft length less. thank I.;

twice the diameters of the balls. so that each socket is too short to. hold two balls. at once.

Another feature of the cover 30; is that itsy inside surface above the sockets lf3 slopes with respect to the horizontal, except at the extreme top of the cover 30. This slope causesballs to be deflected sdewise when they are projectedl-upward against the cover 3G, and it is this deflection that causes a ball projected out of one socket to. drop into another socket, or on top of balls resting in other sockets.

With small children, the noise produced .by making the balls I5 jump against. the cover .30I is one of the attractive features. of the toy. This noise is increased by using a plastic material; for

the cover 30 firmly secured to the hollow base l0. There is a drumming effect of the balls I5v against the sides of the cover 3i] and the vibration pro.- duced also causes a drumming effect from. the: base I0.

The preferred embodiment of the inventionhas. been illustrated and described but some features can be used alone or in different corr-lbinations without departing from the invention as definedin the claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A 'toy comprising a base, a rowv ofsockets on top of said base and extending in a row length- Wise ofthe toy, each of saidsocketsfha'ving side walls in position to prevent displacement of any element in the socket lengthwise of the toy, separate actuators extending forward' from the; respective sockets, each of thev actuators havin-g a portion by which it is manually operated-tocause the element in the associated socket toA be projected'upward out of the socket, acover extend'- ing across the socket at a substantial distance; above the elements, at least a portionofthe-cover being transparent, and the inside surface ofvthe` cover above at least some of the sockets having 4 a slope toward the space above another socket so that elements projected upward against the sloping surface are deflected lengthwise of the toy over other sockets.

2. A toy including a base, an array of diil'erent colored sockets on top of said base and extending in a row lengthwise of the toy, each of said sockets having side walls in position to prevent displacement of an element in the socket lengthwise of the toy, separate elements in the respective sockets, the elements being colored to correspond with the sockets in which they are located, actuators extending into the respective sockets, each of said actuators having a portion extending into the socket to a level in the socket substantially below the upper portions of the side walls of the socket, and having forwardly extending portions by which the actuators are operated to project the elements upward and out of their respective sockets, a cover that fits over the base and that; extends f, both'. ahead` `and behind the sockets for enclosing the space abovev the'V sockets within which the colored elements are confined. saidccver having atleast a portion of its inside surface above the sockets sloped toward` the space above other sockets so that elements projected against. the surface are deflected lengthwise. of the toy.

3. A toy comprising a'base having abottom and. walls extending upward from; thebase: to form. a. row of sockets, the walls along the fronts of the' sockets having recesses in their upper edges, separate levers extendingL through theV respective recesses in the front walls of the sockets, each of the. levers having notchesLin itsopposite sideslengaged by the portions: of. the wall on each side. of the recess for preventing. horizontal .displacement of the leven: the rearward portibn. of each lever extending acrossthe bottom of its associated recessr and the. forward end'. of each: lever extend-- ing beyond. the front Wall of the socket and.' com-` prising an .actuatingl key for `rocking the lever on the front wall ci?y the socketas` a fulcrumrseparate displaceable elements. resting. on` the levers.

-, in the respective sockets, a cover attached. toA the base and forming with the base achamber of substantialsize above the sockets, said cover having aportion that extends across the levers above the front wallsof the socketsso as .toprevent the levers `from being lifted` out of' the recess in the front walls of 'thesockets, and said? cover being transparent-and shaped so that most regions` of its inside surface above thesocketsextendindirections that-are-at an angle lto the direction in which the row of sockets extends.

4. A; toy comprising acne-piece base witha plurality of sockets in itsr top surface and' a' continuous wall extending acrossthe forward ends of the sockets, sai'd. wall' having a recess in. its upper edge in front of each of the sockets, a colored plastic lever extending acrossthe bottom of each socket, and sloping downward toward therearward end of the socket, cachot the levers extending throughA the` recess: in thev front. wall,. and outward beyond the front wall to-provide an actuator key for rocking the leven about. therbottomof the recess; as aulcrum;4 notoheswinopposite;sides of the lever engargerliby the portions ofthe front?v wall on opposite sides.` ci the: lever to: holdi the lever against transverse-displacement, the leversz,

in. the. respective .sockets'being ofldifferentccolors, separate displaceablel Lballs-- in: the respective sockets, the: balls: being@ or different collars4v tot` correspond with the colors of the\ levers. and? beingV "of a diameter less than the width of the sockets and substantially less than the fore and aft lengths of the sockets, a transparent dome having a bottom edge portion that ts into a groove in the top surface of the base, said dome having its 5 lower edge portion rigidly secured to the base, and said dome having a portion of its lower edge extending along the front walls of the sockets at the upper ends of the recesses in the sockets for preventing the levers from being lifted out of the sockets, the dome having substantially parallel front and back Walls joined by curved top and side portions that are of continuous and symmetrical curvature about the center of the toy. ALFRED A. ANTHONY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,319,372 Biertuempfel Oct. 21, 1919 1,709,121 Falke Apr. 16, 1929 1,853,900 Johnson Apr. 12, 1932 

